Subconscious
by ComposerDragon
Summary: Sequel to my story Apocalypse. Raven is gone, and doctors and Titans alike are confused and shocked by her sudden death. Beast Boy develops a crazy plan to save her, but how far will he be willing to go? And who will he choose in the end, Terra or Raven?
1. Shocked

**The first chapter of my sequel! If you're picking this up stone cold, you had better read book 1, Apocalypse, otherwise this will make no sense at all. **

**I tried to focus more on the characters' emotions in this book, so give me feedback (on that and more)! I got lots of author subscriptions for the chapter "Disaster" of my last book, so it seems that people want to see what happens next, which makes me happy.**

**Disclaimer: I'll only say this once now, though in caps for a more dramatic effect: I DO NOT OWN THE TEEN TITANS AND NEVER WILL!**

**Phew… on with the story, then.**

At the Hospital:

"I don't understand it."

Dr. Mariana rubbed her eyes, trying to stay awake. It was getting very late, the sun had long since set, and all of the other Titans, along with their new, unexpected visitor, had been cleared to leave, and were now at Titans Tower, probably lodging in whatever rooms were still intact. They had been very reluctant to go, which wasn't surprising. Their close friend had just died, after all. And that was the strange part.

"How did it happen?" the doctor asked the air, staring at the sheeted body of the young woman laying on the cold, metal bed in the empty, drafty morgue in the hospital basement. "We checked everything! Sure, when she came in we were uncertain, but she was stable for multiple days." She rolled her eyes a bit. "Well, as stable as possible, with all of that demon blood in her veins."

A scruffy, dark haired young adult quietly knocked on the door and opened it, waving a few papers in his hand.

"I've got our results of the most recent readings for…" he checked the name. "Raven."

"And?"

"The sensors on her head have revealed that, just before she died, she experienced a rush of emotions and stress, greater than is ever present in a normal person, even at their most emotional, the defining one being that of… rage." He showed her some graphs and charts.

"So… she got mad. Does that prove anything? She wasn't even completely human."

"Yeah," he shrugged. "But what else do we have to go on?"

"True…" Dr. Mariana massaged her pounding temples. Today had been seriously bad. First, everything had been going perfectly, the Titans were healing and people were starting to move back in to the city. But then a mysterious girl had pretty much broken in out of nowhere, and their most severely injured patient had gone from ready to leave in a few days to… suddenly dead. And they hadn't even been able to get into the room in time. This wasn't just a medical mystery; she considered this a personal failure. Everything had been fine, but why hadn't they had any nurses stationed nearby, or even on the same floor? It was terrible, truly, and Dr. Mariana hated herself for it. This girl had saved the entire city, possibly the entire world, and now she was gone.

The younger doctor gently put a hand on her shoulder. "It's really late, we should leave. Sleep on it."

Dr. Mariana slowly stood up. "Okay," she rubbed her eyes and yawned so wide her jaw popped. "It would be so much easier if we could perform an autopsy, but the Titans want her undisturbed."

The younger man shrugged and walked with her to the door, turning out the lights as he went.

"Maybe they know something we don't."

At the Tower:

Beast Boy sat on his makeshift bed in a spare room, since his was bombed out, and held his head in his hands. His tears had dried up long ago, but there was an empty space in his chest that made it hard to breathe. It felt as if part of his heart had been torn out and stomped on.

Raven… was she really gone? She couldn't be…

But he had seen her. He had witnessed the light leave her eyes, and it was a scene that replayed over and over in his head.

He choked, and quickly grabbed the basin beside his bed as he coughed up more blood. The doctors had released them, saying that they would heal fine off the hospital campus. Cyborg had received a machine that would help him move and function until he had new limbs constructed. Robin was planning on working on designs for a new arm the next morning. However, Beast Boy didn't think the Titans were healed, not anymore. They were 1/5 incomplete.

_Well, not really, _he thought. _Terra's back._

And he felt happy about it, happier than he had ever felt before. But… he wasn't.

No. He, at least, wasn't healed. But he doubted that the hospital could cure grief. Could anything?

He remembered back a few days, when Aqualad had come into the Tower bearing news of Apocalypse, and Raven had taken him in and helped him, given him some spells and potions. But who would do that now?

The door behind him slid open with a quiet hiss. Beast Boy's sensitive ears recognized the tread, the sound of her breathing.

"Terra…"

She quietly walked over and sat next to him, giving him a hug. Her face was stained with tears. Beast Boy put his head on hers and stroked her hair, twirling it around his finger absentmindedly.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "This wasn't supposed to happen."

"It wasn't," Beast Boy agreed. "But I'm so happy you're back."

"Under these circumstances? I can't help thinking it's my fault. Raven didn't have to show me everything in person, using her powers might have pushed her over the edge."

"It's not you. I was watching, using her powers couldn't have had anything to do with it."

Terra sighed. "All of the evidence in the world won't help. I feel so bad."

She hung her head, tears slowly dripping onto the floor beneath her.

"We all do," Beast Boy said sadly. He felt terrible for Terra, she had returned to her friends after three whole years of nothing at all and one of them was snatched away from her less than an hour after. And as for him… Raven was his best friend, really, even though they always fought. Sure, he always hung out with Cyborg, but with Raven, he could be… honest. More or less. Was there something more? He didn't know.

He hugged Terra even tighter. They had saved Raven once, he decided. They could do it again.

Robin slowly took off his new, false arm and laid it carefully on a table that was clear of rubble. He would have loved to set the Titans on cleaning the Tower as soon as possible, but he couldn't. Especially not after what had just happened.

He clenched his fist in anger, anger at himself. Why couldn't he have done something? Raven had saved his life more times than he could count on that single day that Jump City was attacked, not even considering all of the other years he had known her. And when Raven really needed him then, he had failed. He felt so low.

_I managed to rescue her from her satanic, all powerful demon father, but then when a heart attack comes along I'm stuck. I can't do a single thing. If it even was a heart attack._

The little, logical voice in his head reminded him that there really wasn't anything he could have done, but Robin didn't feel any better for it. He hated being in situations where he couldn't change the outcome. And many moments in his past where that had been the case, he had still changed it, against all odds.

_Not now. She's gone forever._

Robin felt like throwing something, smashing something, breaking something apart with his hands. He took a deep breath and suppressed the urge.

_This is what separates you from Slade,_ he thought to himself with a bitter taste of pride. _You can control your anger._

The Boy Wonder sank onto his bed, sending up a light cloud of dust. He felt so useless. He couldn't go on like this.

"I have to do something," he said to the ceiling. "But what? This isn't like before, this is…"

_Different? Perhaps. Batman prided you for a reason, you'll figure out a plan. You always have._

Clinging on to this last piece of hope, Robin slowly drifted off into a troubled, dreamless sleep.


	2. Mumbo Jumbo

**Chapter 2! Sorry it took so long to write, it was finals week at school. But now that that nastiness is over, I finally got around to finishing this. But it didn't turn out all that well, in my opinion. It was supposed to be from Beast Boy's POV, but it sort of drifted away to focus on… I'm not even sure.**

**For those who are wondering "Is anything going to happen in this story?" don't worry, it'll get better. I'm trying to add more details into this book, so bear with me.**

**And sorry if any of the characters are OOC (both in Apocalypse and here), I'm not used to writing fanfictions yet. I'll get better, I promise! **

**But enough about me and my life. R&R!**

Beast Boy suddenly woke up to an obnoxious blaring sound in his ears. All of the lights flashed red. What was going… oh yeah. The alarm.

He tore off the covers and sped down the hallway, and when he got to the living room he was slightly surprised to find he was the first one there, for once. Terra was right behind him, then Robin and Starfire.

"What is the problem?" Starfire asked.

"Mumbo." Robin muttered, checking the computer. "Leave it to a psychopath like him to rob a bank when the entire city is empty."

"Kinda smart, actually. No one's there to stop him," Beast Boy muttered, but no one heard.

"I remember him…" Terra said slowly. "Wasn't he robbing a bank the last time?"

"He always robs banks, that's what he does," Cyborg said as he wheeled in from the hallway. "Every single time, it's always a jewelry store, or a vault, or an ATM, or…"

"Titans, move out!" Robin interrupted, spinning on his heel and running for the door.

It took a lot longer than usual to get to the bank in question, what with Starfire being in a wheelchair and Robin having only one good arm and Cyborg having no arms at all, but still insisting on driving. They had finally decided on letting Robin try, because Beast Boy and Terra were too young and Starfire was a menace on wheels. Cyborg fumed the whole way there, grumbling even louder when Robin's false arm clumsily tried to shift, resulting in loud grinding noises and sudden stops. Beast Boy was slightly confused as to why Cyborg was even coming along. Without his arms or legs, he had no cannons, rockets, punches or kicks. What could he do?

Mumbo was striding out of the doors of the bank, outrageously sized sacks of money over each of his shoulders, when the rented car that they had finally bumped up.

"Drop the cash, Mumbo," Robin said tiredly, pulling himself out of the car.

"That's it? C'mon, at least give me an insult, or something. Heck, I'd rob a bank just to hear all those witty lines you come up with," Mumbo said, raising an eyebrow and smiling mischievously. All of the Titans were out of the car by now, and in what was more or less an attack position.

"Wait a second." Mumbo dropped the sacks and pointed his finger at each of them, doing a count. "Where's the purple Titan? You seem to be absent one…"

Beast Boy gritted his teeth in sudden anger. "You know Raven's name, don't insult her like that!"

"I do?"

"Yeah, you freaking captured her and turned her into a rabbit!"

"You sure? I turn a lot of people into rabbits nowadays."

Beast Boy screamed in rage and charged at Mumbo. The magician's wand was out in an instant, and in a puff of smoke the man was suddenly on top of Beast Boy, pinning him down with his foot.

"I know the girl's name, son, Raven was the only person ever able to out-trick me. So where is she?"

"Beast Boy!" Terra summoned a rock and flew to assist him, but was stopped by Mumbo's wand, pointed right at her nose.

"A geomancer? You look very familiar, have I seen you before?" He turned and addressed Robin. "Did something happen while I was spending holiday in my hat? You did a switch out, here. What, did you fire one of them?"

Robin seethed with suppressed anger, but he just looked at the ground. Everyone else averted their eyes, too. "No. I didn't fire her."

"Then what…?" Mumbo noticed Beast Boy's expression as he was pressed into the dirt and suddenly understood.

"Oh…" his shoulders slumped, and for a second a look of genuine sorrow crossed his face. But then his old grin was back, and his posture was straight. "That's a shame; I had some really great tricks to show off. But you'll do! You'll all do very nicely." He leered at them, and with a wave of his wand, and another puff of smoke, he was holding Beast Boy off the ground by his collar.

"So now I get you back again, huh?" he said to Terra, looking her over thoughtfully. "A lot of entertainment groups were inspired by rocks, you know. Ever heard of the Rolling Stones?"

Laughing maniacally, Mumbo waved his wand at the rock Terra was standing on, which suddenly dropped to the ground and began to rumble away, throwing Terra roughly off. He then tapped Beast Boy on the nose with an exclamation of "Mumbo Jumbo!" and turned him into a bowling ball. Rolling up his sleeve, he lobbed the object in a magnificent three point shot, making a giant dent in the roof of the car.

"Was that the wrong sport?" he muttered. Robin ran up with a blade in his hand, ready to strike, but Mumbo sidestepped easily and twisted Robin to the ground using the Boy Wonder's false arm.

"Can I borrow this?" he asked, popping it off of Robin's stump. "Hey!" Robin shouted, scrambling to his feet, but Mumbo was waltzing away. Confronted by Starfire and Cyborg, he leveled the machine at them like a weapon.

"Be careful, I'm armed," he warned them. Then he burst into laughter. Starfire gritted her teeth and shot a starbolt at the villain's feet. He shouted in surprise, dropped the arm, leaped three feet in the air, and disappeared in a cloud of confetti.

Beast Boy shook his head violently as he finally morphed from a bowling ball back to his real self. He heard a scream, and whirled around to see Mumbo standing next to Terra, gripping her arms and raising his wand slowly, menacingly. It was up to Beast Boy, no one else could make it in time. He vaulted forward, changed into a tiger, and pounced.

Mumbo screamed in terror, which was really funny, actually, and took a step back. But then he composed himself and put his hat right in front of Beast Boy as he approached. The brim expanded, and the snarling green tiger was lost to the black depths almost instantly.

"Beast Boy! Terra! Hold on!" Robin shouted as he hurriedly tried to properly reattach his lost limb. Starfire wheeled over, and Cyborg tried to come too, but only succeeded in falling on his face, a position from which he began shouting obscenities.

"Let Beast Boy out!" Terra shouted at Mumbo, holding her hand up in a threateningly. The blue magician's look turned from that of smugness to fear as a large boulder forced itself up from the ground and hovered in front of him. He rolled his eyes in annoyance, then he snapped his fingers and a black hole opened in the sky, dumping Beast Boy roughly onto the ground.

"You people are no fun, you make a terrible audience," Mumbo scolded them, waving his finger. "Raven at least paid attention to my tricks, if only to try to foil them." He turned on his heel in a huffy manner and strode over to his bags of money. "I suppose I'll just take this morning's profits and leave. MUMBO JUMBO!"

"Wait!" Robin shouted, starting towards him, but he was too late. All that was left where Mumbo had stood was a rubber duck.


	3. The Mirror

**This is one of my favorite chapters; I love how it turned out. I wrote it in two parts, though, so you might notice that the writing gets better as it goes on. **

**Sort of an awkward moment for Beast Boy here, which makes me laugh.**

**Sorry for any OOCness here, I try to avoid it.**

**R&R!**

It took a long time to get home.

Robin was still driving, but having his bionic arm ripped off had left a giant bruise, which Starfire constantly fussed over, despite Robin's assurances that he was fine. Cyborg sat in the passenger seat, leaning to the side to avoid the dent on the roof, and attempting to get the gravel off of his face. He was failing, and it was rather fun to watch.

But the mood in the car was not that of hilarity. They had been beaten badly. By _Mumbo_, of all people. They always beat him easily, but today they hadn't even scored a hit. It made it all the more obvious that they needed Raven. And later that night, as Beast Boy lay on the floor of his room, feeling the wind blow across his face and the bits of rubble under his head, he made up his mind. The team couldn't go on without Raven. It was already falling apart.

About five minutes later, he was standing in front of Raven's door, gathering his strength.

"C'mon, Beast Boy," he muttered to himself. "It's just opening a door. No biggie."

He pushed down the strange feelings inside of him. What was the matter with him? He knocked, and the door slid open with a soft hiss.

It was strange to walk in without confrontation. He looked around him at the books littering the floor, and the broken bookshelves along the walls. At the far side of the room, sitting on a remarkably undisturbed dresser, was his prize.

Beast Boy picked up the antique silver mirror gently, remembering long ago, when he had first seen it. He hadn't known its purpose then. But now, as he held the gate to Nevermore in his hands, he knew exactly what it did. He was counting on it. Talking with even a shade of Raven had to help; she would have some idea of what was going on, wouldn't she? But now the glass was broken, a hairline crack ran down the center. Would it even work now?

He took a deep breath and concentrated. How did it start? Was there an incantation?

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos?" he tried. For a few seconds everything was silent. Then, with a great rushing noise, Beast boy was pulled off his feet and into the lens.

When Beast Boy managed to open his eyes, he was greeted with a sight he did not expect. Normally, the inside of Raven's mind was like deep space, with red stars and a complex of floating rocks at its center. But now Beast Boy was standing in a white void. There were no details, nothing to even signify that he was standing on anything. There was a quiet, humming drone in the background, and occasionally a pulse of rainbow colors would randomly explode across the horizon. Whispers and footsteps jumbled together at the edge of Beast Boy's consciousness, just out of reach. Concentrating, he could almost hear what they were saying…

"Beast Boy?" a familiar voice called in surprise.

Beast Boy jumped and whirled around. Standing in front of him was Raven, wearing a white cloak. She almost blended in with the surroundings, but her cloak fastener stood out. Instead of the standard jewel, it was a color wheel. The pink section suddenly lit up, and Raven's cloak rapidly rippled through colors until it matched.

"BEAST BOY!" Raven shouted, giving him a crushing hug and lifting him right off the "ground".

"Oh! Um… Happy? Is that you?" Beast Boy said awkwardly, trying to breathe.

"YOU REMEMBER ME!" Happy squealed and let Beast Boy go, twirling around and laughing. Suddenly she was right in Beast Boy's face.

"Wanna play rummy?" she asked excitedly, but then the grey section on the color wheel lit up, and the cloak faded to the same shade.

"Do you know where we are?" Timid asked nervously, pulling her cloak tighter and grabbing his arm. "I'm scared. Terra was here, then suddenly everything hurt and we were fighting and losing and now we're in this scary place and…"

Tears were spilling from her eyes, and she gasped and sucked in a huge breath. But the wheel and cape were now green.

"I'll bust us out, no place can hold me!" Bravery shouted, hands on her hips and her legs apart in a dramatic stance.

"Well, um, do you know where 'here' is?" Beast Boy asked. Raven was suddenly orange.

"And you wanna rescue us, is that it?" Rudeness asked, poking him in the chest and burping loudly in his face. "You're kind of scrawny, aren't you? And you're so annoying, I'm not sure if I want to be saved if I have to spend more time with you."

Beast Boy blushed angrily, and was about to retort when the wheel was on a magenta shade.

The new Raven ran up and hugged him. It wasn't like Happy's hugs, it was… warmer. She sighed happily. Beast Boy flushed redder than ever, this time of embarrassment, and tried to find a way to peel her off. But then the cloak turned cream colored.

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Raven shouted, pushing Beast Boy away and composing herself. She pulled out a small pair of silver glasses and lightly perched them on her nose.

"Um…" Beast Boy stood there, completely confused.

"Sorry about all of that insanity, I'm Intelligence," she said in a businessy but not unkind tone. "All of Raven's attributes have been forced to share this one body, and it's rather chaotic."

The color flashed pink, and Raven shouted "HI, BEAST BOY!" before she turned back to cream.

"See what I mean?"

"So… um… well…" Beast Boy tried to think of a place to begin. "What's going on? Raven…" He swallowed nervously, "…died, but how did this happen? Can you fill me in? Can I still save her? Or, you, I guess?"

"We died? Oh, that explains it."

"You didn't even know?" Beast Boy asked incredulously.

"I'm sorry, Beast Boy, but we just appeared in here yesterday. I have no idea what events took place."

"Can you lead me in the right direction? I need to save her… you. I can't leave you guys in here."

"Well, I can tell you one thing. Look at the fastener," Intelligence instructed him.

"What about it?" Beast Boy asked, not getting it.

"Do you see any colors missing?"

He squinted harder. There was almost every color and every shade in between present on the wheel, all except for…

"Red…" he said in surprise.

"Exactly. Whatever happened has to do with Rage. That emotion is not in this body. I'm afraid that's all I can give you, Beast Boy. Beast Boy."

The changeling's green eyes had wandered from the spinner and slightly to the sides.

"BEAST BOY!"

He staggered back and blushed deeply, looking shamefully at his toes. Intelligence smiled in a sad, amused way and smacked him on the cheek. It didn't really hurt.

"That's it. I'm sorry we can't help, but I know I can count on you. On everyone."

Beast Boy looked into her eyes and smiled weakly. "You sure about that?"

Intelligence nodded. "There's no forbidden door, so I'm not 100% sure on how to get out of here. Do you have any ideas?"

Beast Boy shrugged. "Same way I got in, I suppose."

The emoticlone smiled again, pushed her glasses up her nose, and faded away. The droning was back.

Beast Boy sat carefully on the 'floor' and mimicked Raven's meditative stance. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and began to chant.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos…"

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos…"


	4. Valentine's Day

**Super short chapter. This was inspired by the song "Valentine's Day" by Linkin Park. I love that song.**

**Note: this begins from Terra's POV, a few hours after Beast Boy got sucked into the mirror. And Beast Boy's POV begins at…**

**Well, you'll find that out.**

"Hey, has anyone seen Beast Boy?"

"What was that, Terra?" Robin asked, turning off his blowtorch and awkwardly lifting up his blast visor with the other hand. He was currently working on his new arm.

'Yeah, Terra, whatcha say?" Cyborg called from across the massive garage. He had employed a small army of little robots to build him temporary arms, so he could build the new models himself.

"Has anyone seen Beast Boy?" she repeated.

"Uh…" Robin rubbed the back of his head and wiped his cheek, leaving a grease stain. "Last I saw he was in his room."

"I looked, but he's not there. And that was hours ago."

"Don't be nervous, Terra, he's probably around the tower somewhere. Why don't you go ask Starfire, I think she's in the kitchen?" Cyborg said.

"What's she doing in there?" Robin asked.

"Making dinner, I suppose. As long as it's not that space octopus stuff she made last time…"

"Hey…" Robin said, rather defensively.

Terra walked out quickly.

She ascended a few flights of stairs and peeked around the corner. Starfire was in the kitchen, humming softly and wearing a large chef's hat as she pounded a giant, purple mass with a meat tenderizer the size of her head. Terra was slightly surprised that she could be so cheerful so close to the… incident, as she had taken to calling it, but as she walked up, she noticed the sadness behind Starfire's eyes. She had not recovered yet. Terra felt the same.

"Uh, hey Star, have you seen Beast Boy?" she asked nervously, eyeing the evening's meal. She swore she saw it move, even after Starfire had left it alone.

"Beast Boy?" Starfire jerkily maneuvered her wheelchair so she was facing Terra. "I have not, what is the trouble?"

"No trouble, no trouble," Terra assured her. "I'm just curious."

Starfire rested a hand on Terra's shoulder. "Beast Boy has taken Raven's departure particularly hard; he may be gone for a while. But I am sure he will be back soon."

Beast Boy got up flailing. Where was he?

As his vision swam back into focus he slowly recognized the books, the decorations. Raven's room. So he had gotten back after all. But the light coming in from the window was odd, it was late afternoon, not morning.

He got up, dusted himself off, and carefully put the mirror back in its place. His stomach growled, and he quickly made for the living room. It probably wasn't too late for lunch.

When he got there, it was strange. All of the walls were fixed, the windows were back in place, and the floor was swept clear of rubble. All of the Titans were gathered around a newspaper, muttering softly. Terra looked up and saw him first.

"Beast Boy, you're back!" Terra jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly and laughing, even though there were tears on her face.

"Easy, easy, I'm happy to see you too. And whaddaya mean, back?" Beast Boy looked up to see the other Titans, faces grim. Starfire was on crutches, and Robin was holding a letter in his false arm, except this one was gleaming red glass and metal, with little stripes of chrome. Cyborg was standing, but on temporary legs. His arms were temporary, too.

"Whoa, Robin, you built that fast…" Beast Boy whistled. Too fast, something was wrong here. How was Starfire healed? Mostly?

But first things first. "What's that?" Beast Boy asked, gesturing to the letter.

"A note from the hospital. They couldn't wait anymore, they had to bury Raven. We managed to get her in a mausoleum, but they won't let us stall any longer."

"Bury her? She just passed, how could they…" Beast Boy suddenly understood. "How long was I gone?"

Nobody spoke.

"How long was I…?" Beast Boy began again, more forcefully, but he was interrupted.

"A week and a half," Terra whispered sadly. "Today is Valentine's day."


	5. The Dragon's Plan

**Sorry I took so long updating for this chapter… I've kinda lost my fire for this story. Hopefully now that the action has started up I'll want to write it more. No one likes writing expositions. Or, at least, I don't.**

**Enjoy! I'll try and update again soon!**

**PS: Malchior is sorta OOC here, I apologize. I'll fix that.**

**R&R! It's what keeps me going!**

Beast Boy sat quietly on the couch later that night, pondering. His arm was draped around Terra's shoulders as she faced off against Cyborg on the Gamestation. Robin was making more adjustments on his arm, which was nothing new. Starfire watched and cheered for Terra, who was holding her own.

"Just wait until I get good fingers," Cyborg muttered under his breath.

Beast Boy was removed from this. He was thinking about what Intelligence had said, about Rage being absent. What did that mean? Well, Raven's eyes had turned red during the 'heart attack'… was that significant?

Who would know Raven's emotions enough to unravel this? He would have liked to say that the Titans, as her friends, knew her the best, but even at her most open Raven had never revealed much.

"Woohoo, high score!" Terra cheered as a graphic of her name crushed Cyborg's on the screen.

"What? No way, man, I call rematch!"

"You are so on!"

Beast Boy smiled at his girlfriend. It was hilarious, how competitive she could get.

Hey… had Raven ever had a boyfriend? Whoever that was would certainly know her emotions. It would have to be someone well versed in spells, charming, polite, and with a past like hers. More or less. But who was like that?

The name was so obvious it almost smacked him in the face.

"THAT'S IT!" he shouted, leaping up from the couch. Everyone looked at him strangely, but he didn't care. With hurried "excuse me's" and "sorry about thats" he picked his way across the room and down the hallway. The group was silent until a cheesy explosion noise came from the screen, to which Cyborg shouted "No way!"

But Beast Boy was at Raven's door again. He opened it immediately, slipped inside, and closed it behind him. This time he moved in the opposite direction of the mirror, towards a giant, antique trunk. He lifted the lid, coughed as a cloud of dust was unsettled, and pulled out a rather familiar white book bound with silver metal. He opened it, sat on the floor, and cleared his throat.

"Malchior?"

Two eyes appeared. "Yes, what is it?"

"I need some help."

"Oh, smashing. I'm turning into a regular encyclopedia. Shove off, will you?"

"Hey!" Beast Boy snarled. "I'm trying to save Raven's life, here!"

"Oh, is she ailing?"

"No…" Beast Boy sighed. "She's already dead."

"Well, that complicates things a bit, doesn't it? But seeing as Raven trapped me here in this book for what seems to be another thousand years, I'm not so keen to do any favors. Unless you have something to give me, I opt out."

Beast Boy bit his lip.

"And don't say you'll burn the book, Raven already tried that. I researched and it turns out that cursed objects used as prisons are impervious to fire. Who knew?"

Beast Boy then realized what he had to do. It wasn't good, but he didn't have many other options.

"I'll do whatever you want."

Malchior raised an eyebrow.

"One favor. Anything within my power. In return for helping me."

The eyes looked down, thinking.

"Alright. What do you need?"

"Well, I don't know much…" Beast Boy quickly detailed everything for the dragon.

"Aha! I know what happened. Rage finally took over. Raven was always worried that her own evil side would consume her, even if her father's didn't."

"So… what do we do?"

"Seeing that Nevermore is still… intact in some way, we still have a chance. We must go into the deepest areas of Raven's mind to where her emotions, memories and ideas are at their most raw, away from that Nevermore charade."

"But Raven's dead."

"By all intents and purposes, yes. But her conscious still exists. Raven's original psyche is being held captive as we speak by her demonic half. So she's buried? That makes no difference, except it complicates her waking up."

"So we can go really deep into Raven's mind and save her? She'll be okay after that?"

"You're not very bright, are you? That's what I said. My favor is that I come with you."

Beast Boy raised an eyebrow, but didn't challenge Malchior's proposal. He had promised, after all.

"I'm coming, too."

Beast Boy jumped in surprise as Terra sat down beside him, pushing her hair behind her ear. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"100%. I need to help Raven in some way, it's partially my fault she's gone."

Beast Boy was about to point out that this wasn't true, but Malchior interrupted.

"Are we all set, then? Anyone else want to come?" his voice was dripping with mockery and sarcasm. A vein pulsed on Beast Boy's forehead.

"No. let's go." He got up and retrieved Raven's mirror.

"What are you getting that thing for?" Malchior asked.

"It's… the portal into Raven's mind… we aren't using it?"

Malchior shook his head. "That's the gate to Nevermore; that is its only function. Without Raven actually being there, we can't get access to anywhere else."

"So your plan is?" Terra asked. Malchior shot her a look, as if she needed his permission to speak.

"My plan… is to use an old spell taught to me by an armless shaman. Do you have any of Raven's DNA? A lock of hair, perhaps?"

"Hold on…" Beast Boy got up again and went into a different room. He came back a bit later holding a heavy silver hairbrush with purple hairs trapped within it.

"Will this work?" he asked, setting it down before Malchior.

"Splendidly. Are we all prepared?"

Beast Boy looked at Terra, who nodded. "We're ready." they said at once.

"Excellent. My name is Malchior, and I will be your tour guide on our fascinating journey into the depths of our late companion Raven's mind. Please keep all arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times and try not to scream." He rolled his eyes. "Aviendum."

The hairbrush exploded with light; it was so blinding that Beast Boy had to cover his eyes. His other hand was firmly grasping Terra's. There was a rush of musical notes, a blast of wind, and then stillness.

Beast Boy still had his elbow over his eyes. A light breeze tickled his skin, and he could hear falling water.

"You. Changeling. Open your eyes," Malchior ordered him with his ever-present sarcastic and annoyed tone.

"C'mon, BB, you really need to see this," Terra urged him. He slowly lowered his arm and stood up.

"Welcome to Raven's memories," Malchior said from somewhere behind him. "Our first stop."

"What is this place?" Terra asked in wonder.

"Azarath. This is how it looked when Raven was born here 16 years ago."

"How do you know so much about Raven and her past?" Beast Boy asked accusingly, turning to see the book sitting open a few feet behind them.

"She completely fell for me, she told me everything. And I read her mind a bit."

"Creep…" Beast Boy muttered so quietly no one could hear, then turned to the sight before him.

It was a gigantic golden city resting on a huge floating stone, similar to the ones in Nevermore, only much larger. There was a gleaming wall surrounding the city, and within it were tall, spindly towers that shone in the sun, glass-roofed skyscrapers with reflective metal sides, and an enormous temple in the very center with the image of a dove in midflight adorning the front. Waterfalls spilled from its top and rushed down the sides. It was… beautiful. Beast Boy didn't use the word much, but he couldn't think of anything else that would properly describe it.

They were currently standing on a smaller rock that orbited Azarath. It was coated in lush green grass and a huge, twisted tree.

"Pick me up, please," Malchior requested. Beast Boy grudgingly did so.

"Unfortunately, we do not have time to sightsee. We must press on to Raven's next major memory."

The book glowed white, and a swirling black portal opened up on the tree.

"Ladies first," the dragon said. Terra reluctantly stepped through, followed closely by Beast Boy and Malchior.


	6. Blizzard

**Sorry this took so long to update, but its here. Hope you like it!**

**Note: I won't be on for a week or so from the 19****th**** of June, 2010. I'm going on vacation.**

**2****nd**** Note: the version of Raven's past here is completely made up. I'm not sure if there's a detailed description somewhere describing her life before the Titans or whatever, so don't burn me on it, okay? This is how I say things happened.**

**Enjoy…**

First it was black. Then it was white.

The wall of snow knocked Beast Boy right off of his feet. He landed and was instantly buried. Ice fell from the sky and cut his face.

"Terra?" he asked, standing up and clutching Malchior under his arm. His words were stolen by the wind.

"TERRA!" Beast Boy screamed. He saw a gloved arm poke out of the snow and wave around. He stomped over and pulled Terra to her feet.

"No one said anything about cold," she muttered, rubbing her arms and chattering her teeth. "I hate the cold."

Beast Boy transformed into a polar bear and pressed up against her, protecting her from the worst of the cutting gale that swept across the black sky.

"Where are we?" Terra asked Malchior, opening the book a bit.

Malchior's eyes glanced around. "The Himalayas."

"Why are we there?" Terra asked. Beast Boy would have asked too, but he was busy being a bear.

"Raven was banished from Azarath when she was about 9. She ended up here."

"Raven was stranded in this place? When she was NINE?" it was hard to believe. And it was awful.

"She found friends, don't worry," Malchior assured them. "Just over those mountains is Shangri-La."

"Wait… _the_ Shangri-La?"

Beast Boy raised a furry eyebrow.

"It's a monastery that's supposed to have absolutely no evils. No sickness, no fighting, no nuthin. Most people don't think it even exists."

"Shangri-La is the closest thing we on Earth have to Azarath," Malchior went on. "They gave Raven a home, took care of her." They all tensed as a particularly nasty wind blew at them. "At least, until they learned who her father was. Then they sent her away again."

They then saw a small, huddled figure on the horizon, barely noticeable. Beast Boy's sensitive eyes and ears could see that she had short purple hair and was sobbing as she slowly waded into the distance through snow that was up to her waist.

"Come on, let's go." Terra started after the younger Raven, but Malchior stopped her.

"No! We must not let ourselves be seen! We are not intangible, invisible beings watching a film, here. We are literally in the same time and place that she was, in the flesh. If she sees us, she will remember us, and the future will alter. If we die here, we stay dead."

Both Terra and Beast Boy stared at him in surprise.

"And you neglected to mention his before… why?" Terra asked, eyes narrowing.

If books could shrug, Malchior would have done so.

"Forget about that," Beast Boy said, morphing back into his frail human state. "We need to keep moving. Where's the way forward?"

**Back at Titans Tower…**

"Beast Boy?"

"Terra?"

Robin, Cyborg and Starfire walked down the hallways, calling out for their missing friends. Beast Boy had suddenly left during the game, then Terra had chased after him when she was finished crushing Cyborg. That had been a while ago.

Robin paused outside Raven's door. It was slightly ajar, and he knew for a fact that it had been closed earlier that day. He quietly pushed his way inside to find a scorch mark on the carpet, the Nevermore mirror lying nearby, and a trunk wide open.

"What in the world…" Robin flicked his communicator open and called Beast Boy. After a few seconds of static he was greeted by his teammate's windswept face. He sniffed. "Yeah, Robin?"

"Beast Boy! Where are you?"

"Inside Raven's subconscious. We have Malchior as a guide. We're going to bring Raven back."

Robin smiled and shook his head in astonishment. "Beast Boy, you genius."

Beast Boy's pointed ears pricked up. "Really?"

Robin nodded. "Is Terra with you?"

Terra's head squeezed in next to Beast Boy's. "I'm here."

"Good. Now listen, I'm happy that you've found a way to save Raven, but don't you think it's a bit risky to trust someone like Malchior? I mean… he completely fooled _Raven_… of all people!"

Beast Boy put a grim expression on his face. "We didn't have any other choice. He knows Raven better than all of us."

"Be careful, guys. Keep us posted back here."

Beast Boy and Terra nodded.

"Is there anything we can do?"

"Well… when Raven wakes up… not being buried will help."

"True. We'll see what we can accomplish."

"Excellent," Terra said.

"And again, be careful! Robin out."

Robin shut his communicator. "You genius…" he said again, then went to tell the others.

**In the Himalayas…**

Beast Boy watched the static on his communicator screen for a few seconds before snapping the lid shut and walking back to Terra and Malchior.

"What now?" he asked.

"We must make our way to the next bridge."

"Bridge? I don't think we'll find any of those out here," Terra said.

"A bridge to the next part of Raven's mind."

"Oh… where's that?"

"If my senses are right…" Malchior closed his eyes and concentrated. "It should be a bit that way." He rolled his eyes in the direction the young Raven had walked.

"Let's go, then!" Beast Boy said, snapping Malchior's book shut and trudging through the thick snow. Terra was right behind him.

It was tough work, taking giant steps in the upper-thigh-deep snow and ice lashing at their faces. A distance that would have taken a few seconds any other place on the planet took a few minutes. But soon they were over the ridge and they heard the screams.

"Help! Someone help me!"

There was a large glowing cave in the rock wall to their right, which probably served as the bridge, and an abrupt cliff to their left. The cries were coming from there.

"Help, quick! I'm slipping!"

It was Raven. She was hanging by one arm off the edge of the abyss, fingers beginning to slide in the snow. She was seconds from falling.

"We gotta go help her!" Beast Boy said, moving toward her, but a fist of white energy grabbed hold of him and held him in place. Beast Boy looked back to see Malchior's book glowing and hovering in the air in front of a startled Terra.

"NO! We must stay hidden!" the dragon said, grunting a bit as the changeling in his grasp struggled to break free. "This is Raven's memory! If she lived to remember it, that means that she survived!"

"But what if she survived because I went and saved her?"

"If that was true, then you would see a version of yourself running up there! Let her be! It's dangerous enough to be messing with Raven's memory as we are!"

Beast Boy growled softly and looked on at Raven. She looked like she was going to pull herself up, but then she fell.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" she screamed in terror, and slowly the sound faded into nothing.

"No!" whispered Beast Boy. He hung his head, but then snapped it up to see Raven flying awkwardly back to land on top of the cliff.

"See? That is where she learned that she can fly. If you had run in there, she would have never found out how," Malchior said, slowly letting Beast Boy down into the snow. Terra ran up and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry,' she whispered in his ear. He nodded and stood shakily up.

"Can we go now?" he asked the book lying in the snow.

"Certainly," it said. "Right through that cave there."

Making sure that Raven was gone, the group made their way up to the rocky wall. The cave was a narrow sliver in the stone that glowed, but didn't throw any light on the snow around it.

"Make sure it's safe, will ya?" Beast Boy asked, picking Malchior up.

"Wait, what?" the book asked, but Beast Boy chucked it through the opening.


	7. The Nexus

**Thank you all for being so patient! I feel terrible, making you wait this long.**

**I do have an excuse: my Mom's been in ICU for the past 2 weeks and I've been spending most of my time there, and now my grandpa is in the emergency room :( **

**I'll try and type more when I can! And hopefully I type it better than this turned out!**

**Enjoy…**

They spent an immeasurable amount of time doing much of the same: jumping from memory to memory and fighting to stay hidden. It was made harder by the fact that, as a child, Raven had been incredibly paranoid. She always stopped and looked into every hiding place before settling down.

After moving through approximately three years of memories, both Beast Boy and Terra were getting impatient.

"Are we going to have to claw our way through 17 years of this?" Beast Boy groaned as they once again narrowly escaped one of Raven's perimeter checks and headed for another bridge.

"No, now stop whining," Malchior snapped at him as they stepped through.

Eventually they reached the point where Raven had first joined the Titans. Beast Boy carefully watched himself whenever he could, seeing how stupid he had actually looked.

After a while Terra made her appearance. Terra wore an expression of regret and anger as she watched herself attack her friends all over again. Beast Boy walked silently beside her, hand clenching hers, and pressed his lips together. He figured that speaking at that moment would be a bad idea.

And then, after stepping through a decrepit door that led to the next of Raven's memories, Beast Boy's eyes widened in recognition.

"I know this place…" he breathed, looking around. It was so familiar, and it left a sour taste in his mouth and a heavy feeling in his gut. The empty, smoking ruins, the burned streets, and the shattered glass. An old library, standing untouched in the middle of a circle of rubble several city blocks wide.

"What is this?" Terra asked, looking around with a look of apprehension on her face.

"The old library. Underneath that place was where Raven died." He frowned. "For the first time."

"This is the site of Trigon's ascent?" Malchior said from between his closed covers.

"Yeah. This is the place."

"Then we don't have far to go, I suspect. Let's go." Malchior tried to pull ahead and lead them on, but he was a book, so he just sat there.

"Well, where?" Beast Boy asked.

"I don't know; I wasn't around for this. I was sitting in a box," Malchior muttered. "Bridges usually form over or around the areas that Raven had the most emotions about in that particular memory. Where would that be?"

Beast Boy swallowed. "I think I know."

Terra sighed. "I don't like the sound of that."

Beast Boy led them carefully into the library and through a trap door, which was already open. Then they descended a ridiculously long spiral staircase, most of which showed signs of a battle. Eventually, they reached a square hole in the wall, and climbed through.

After walking through a maze that Beast Boy apparently knew the way through, they reached a cavernous room. In the center was a giant stone hand reaching up towards the sky. In the center of the palm was a swirling vortex.

"It's beautiful…" Malchior gasped as they walked in. Beast Boy's ears flattened and he growled threateningly.

Malchior shrugged from within his pages.

"I really don't like this place," Terra said softly. "The earth here is wrong; it feels dangerous."

"Don't worry," Beast Boy said grimly. "We're not sticking around."

He morphed into a pterodactyl and, with Terra astride his neck and Malchior clutched in his feet, flew up to the palm.

"Can we get out of here?" he asked, changing back and walking over to the portal.

"Fine. Jump in," Malchior said.

Beast Boy did, and Terra followed.

It was really cold again, but this time it was also dark and still.

Beast Boy opened his eyes to see them in a black space that seemed to stretch on forever. There was no sign of any walls or roof.

"Where are we?" his voice echoed.

"The Nexus, I believe," Malchior said from the ground. "Since the next memory is her most powerful, a sort of bus stop sprung up in between. It is here that we can decide if we want to continue on viewing memories or move deeper into Raven's mind."

"But how? I don't see anything except us," Terra said, hands on hips.

As if on cue, hundreds of doors suddenly faded into being. They were all of different ages and colors and materials, and they continued on out of sight.

"Are we in Monsters Inc or what here, what's going on?" Beast Boy muttered.

"There you have it!" Malchior said cheerfully. "Your door is that one; the all black one with the ornate silver handle."

Beast Boy picked the book up and began to walk towards the door.

"Wait, not yet," Malchior said.

"Why not?" Terra asked.

"Because that's not my door. Do you honestly think that I can along to rescue Raven?"

Beast Boy frowned.

"Put me through that one," Malchior continued, and an arrow made of paper extended from the book and gestured to an arched stone door with iron braces and torches on either side, like something out of a medieval castle.

"Fine." Beast Boy walked over, jerked the door open, and held the book out.

"You better not do anything you regret," Beast Boy growled threateningly.

"Neither should you," hissed the book.

Beast Boy dropped Malchior on his spine and slammed the door after him. He walked over to Terra, who was standing beside their door with a slightly angry look on her face.

"I only just met the guy in person today and I don't like him," she scoffed. "Should we go?"

"Yeah."

Together, they gripped the handle and pulled the door open.

They were in a rocky tunnel with an arched roof, and small torches burned along the walls.

"Looks sorta like Nevermore," Terra commented.

"I'll take that as a promising sign," Beast Boy said. "Let's go."

They walked hand in hand through the darkness, and the shadows thickened around them in spite of the fire flickering on the walls.

_What's going on?_ Beast Boy wondered. _Why is it so dark here? There's torches everywhere._

Suddenly all of the flames snuffed out at once, and were replaced by a pulsing red light. The color was familiar to both of them.

"Rage," they both said in unison.

A door appeared on the wall beside them. The mark of Scath was just visible on the old, pockmarked wood.

"Yeah, I guess this is it," Beast Boy said. "You ready?"

Terra nodded and Beast Boy opened the door. He walked through, but when Terra tried she screamed in pain and stepped back.

"What's wrong?" Beast Boy asked, running back.

"I dunno," Terra gasped, rubbing her hand, which had a nasty burn on it. "But I don't think I can go in there."

"So what now?"

"You go in and get Raven. I'll stay out here. If you get into a fight with anything, lead it back to me. Got it?"

"I can take care of myself," Beast Boy smiled. "We'll be back."

Terra nodded and gave Beast Boy a strong hug.

They held the embrace for as long as they could, then broke apart. Beast Boy let go of Terra's hand and slowly stepped across the threshold, looking back as he did so.

And even though Terra didn't move, the door slammed shut behind him.


	8. Breaking Chains

**Another chapter! Huzzah!**

**I like the beginning of this chapter, but (in my opinion) the end kinda sucks. Oh well. Mayb I'll rewrite it.**

**And please review! If you don't review you show me that you're a mean person and that you don't care! (sniff)**

**So anyway…**

**Enjoy…**

The red light was gone, and all was dark. He couldn't see a hand in front of his face.

Suddenly, Beast Boy's communicator buzzed on his belt, and he flicked it open.

"Beast Boy?" Robin said on the little screen.

"Robin, what's up?" Beast Boy asked. He held the device close to his face and whispered, just in case he was being watched.

"Just looking for an update," Robin said. Beast Boy rolled his eyes a bit. Robin couldn't resist updates.

"Well, I'm currently in the entrance of where I think Raven is,' Beast Boy explained. "Though for some reason Terra couldn't enter. And Malchior left, he went somewhere else in Raven's mind."

Robin frowned. "That's discouraging to hear. Be careful, Malchior can't be up to anything good."

"I realize," Beast Boy said. "Is Raven's body okay?"

"Yeah, we have it here," Robin smiled. "Resting in a sealed coffin."

"Bleh," Beast Boy couldn't help making a face. "How'd you…"

"Later," Robin quickly said.

That sounded suspicious, and both of them knew it, but it was a story for a different time.

"Right…" Beast Boy said. "Any sage-ly advice to give me before I go?"

Robin frowned. "Just be careful. We would miss your brilliant sense of humor back here."

Beast Boy smiled. "Nice. Don't worry, I'll watch myself."

Robin nodded. "Robin out."

The screen clicked off, and Beast Boy was plunged into darkness once more.

Even his sharp eyes couldn't see anything, but Beast Boy did hear something.

Crying.

He twisted, concentrating, and found the direction the sound was coming from. He began to walk towards it, and as he got closer he began to realize who was making the sound, which filled him with both happiness and worry at the same time. Why was Raven crying?

What happened next wasn't really his fault. It was too dark to see anything, anyway.

Beast Boy was so busy concentrating that he smacked straight into the wall. The slapping sound echoed strangely around the tunnel.

"Ow! Dang!" Beast Boy muttered, holding his nose. He groped around in front of him until he found a knob of sorts, and pulled the door open.

Before him was an enormous, cathedral-sized room. The soaring roof was held up by crumbling stone arches, and black birds fluttered among the supports. The floor was cracked and uneven, and it slowly slanted up to a raised, semi-flat area. A massive, red, stain-glass window let a strangely tinted light into the room, and sitting there among the rubble, chained to the ground and sobbing, was Raven.

"Raven!" Beast Boy shouted, running towards her, trying not to trip.

Raven's head remained hung, and she seemed to not even notice him. More tears spilled onto the dark stone, and the pathetic sound of stifled sobs echoed around the walls.

"Raven?" Beast Boy said again, somewhat cautiously, kneeling down next to her. He put a tentative hand on her shoulder, and suddenly her head snapped up. Her hair was wild, and her eyes were wet and bloodshot. That accompanied with the teeth gritted in an almost snarl gave the overall impression of insanity.

"What happened to you?" Beast Boy asked. Flecks of foam flew from Raven's mouth and she slumped to the side, sobbing some more.

"Go away!" she screamed. "Leave! Get out! I hate you!"

Beast Boy was stunned. What was wrong?

Raven's head snapped up again, and she glared at Beast Boy with such a fury in her eyes that part of him wanted to just curl up and die. She pulled against the chains holding her down, fingers twitching.

"Lean down, fool! Let me strangle you! You don't deserve to live!" she yelled.

Beast Boy could feel hot tears forming at the corners of his eyes. Raven would never say these things, would she?

"Or go! Run back to that bitch Terra! You all forgave her, how stupid! She's lower than filth, she was better as a statue!"

Beast Boy clenched his fists.

"SHE STOLE YOU FROM ME! ALL OF YOU!" Raven shrieked. "I FOUGHT AND TRIED TO DENY IT, BUT IT'S TRUE! YOU BASTARDS WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND!"

Beast Boy suddenly snapped and slapped Raven across the face. She froze; eyes widened in shock, then fell against his shoulder, completely limp.

"Eh?" Beast Boy muttered. _What…?_

Raven took a deep, shuddering breath and looked into his eyes.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Beast Boy asked.

"I'm… I'm sorry…" Raven whispered. She sounded exhausted. Tears still leaked from her eyes, though not as violently as before. She shivered, and curled up the best she could.

"It's all me…" Raven went on. "We're fighting for control over this body… me and Rage. And… I'm losing. I can't win."

"Don't say that," Beast Boy snapped, a bit harsher than he had meant to. "You can do anything you set your mind to."

"No…" she shuddered. "There's no way. It's hopeless. I have way too much hate in me to overcome it all."

They were silent.

"What happens if it wins?" Beast Boy asked quietly.

"_When _it wins," Raven said flatly, "it will consume me completely, destroying my body and mind and everything I've ever loved. Everything will be over."

"I refuse to accept that," Beast Boy said. "Surely you can…?"

"No!" Raven interrupted angrily. "I can barely keep it back even now, look at me! I've already lost my fragile mental stability! Even if by some insane chance that I win, I'll be broken! Shattered! A lunatic!"

"If you refuse to try, then I'll have to,' Beast Boy said.

"No…"

"Yes, Raven! I forced my way into your mirror, traveled halfway across your memories and made a deal with one of the most disgusting, misleading, charlatans I've ever heard of! I won't just let you quit!"

"You… what?" Raven asked, eyes wide. "That's impossible…"

"Well, I'm here, aren't I?" he said angrily. He grabbed her head and stared into her eyes.

"Now let me in!"

Raven's eyes dilated and Beast Boy could feel himself falling, even though he stayed firmly on the ground. There was a sound like a gunshot and a burst of black, and Beast Boy found himself in a black, barren space. He could feel part of himself still kneeling beside Raven, and yet he could feel himself walking around inside her mind. It was unnerving.

"You…"

Rage suddenly appeared in a burst of flames. She looked different; there were no Trigon-style eyes, she genuinely was Raven, just in red. Her face was twisted into a horrible, evil grin.

"You just seem to be intent on stopping me at every turn, don't you?" she hissed, red eyes narrowing. Back a few years ago when we fought Dr. Light and here, when I'm so close! I'm sure Raven told you that there's no hope? We both know it."

"Yeah, well, Raven's sort of a pessimist," Beast Boy muttered. "NO OFFENSE!" he shouted as an afterthought to the real Raven, who he was sure was watching from somewhere.

"You want her here?" Rage smirked. "Excellent, she can watch as I tear your throat out with my teeth." She snapped her clawed fingers and Raven appeared a short distance away, still in chains.

"Not likely," Beast Boy growled. He morphed into a tiger and began to prowl around Rage, who bared her teeth. Beast Boy lunged, claws extended, but Rage merely caught him around the throat with one hand and held him in the air, even as he flailed his 3-ton body around in an attempt to escape.

"Every failed attack will cost you!" she snarled, and shot a bolt of dark energy at Raven, who screamed in pain.

"No!" Beast Boy yelled, changing back to a human and trying to peel Rage's iron fingers apart. They wouldn't budge.

"Let! Me! GO!" Beast Boy shouted, and changed into a box jellyfish, wrapping his poisoness tentacles around her arm and stinging. Rage screamed and dropped him, where a transformed into an eagle halfway to the ground and swooped back up, talons extended and ready to attack her eyes. Rage wrapped Beast Boy in a sphere of energy and began to contract it. Beast Boy morphed into a whale and the spell shattered.

Raven watched as they exchanged blows for a long time, neither one really causing any damage. Rage left Raven alone, for she was so intent upon killing Beast Boy that she was blind to everything else.

Raven tried to break the chains again, but to no avail. She was sure that her wrists were raw and bleeding under them, but she didn't care. She kept jerking, trying to free herself, but for some reason her powers didn't work, so she was helpless. She could only float on the small hope that Beast Boy would actually win.

Yeah, right.

"That's it!" Rage shouted, and she whirled around and grabbed Beast Boy's head in mid transformation, sending an electric shock into him. Beast Boy screamed, and his body buzzed with black lightning as he flickered from person to bird and back again so quickly you could only really see a blur. The ground began to crack and splinter around them.

"Beast Boy!" Raven shouted, struggling even more. "BEAST BOY!"

Rage laughed and threw the changeling aside, where he lay, unmoving, though still flickering between two forms.

"Your boyfriend's gone, sweetey," mocked Rage, turning to Raven, who froze suddenly.

"What did you say?"

"You heard me, idiot. Your boyfriend is toast."

"I… but…"

"Don't try and deny anything," Rage cackled. "He really is gone, or will be soon, and you do like him. We share a mind, there's no hiding it from me."

Rage hovered over to Raven as she bit her lip, trying to hold back her tears and thinking hard. The emotion grabbed her cheeks and lifted her face up.

"But don't worry; we won't have to share a mind for much longer."

Raven's face set, and suddenly Rage was blasted backwards. She looked up in shock to see Raven standing, free on her chains and hands extended, black fire on her fingertips.

"How…" Rage spluttered, leaping to her feet.

"You're right, I do like Beast Boy," Raven said, eyes alive with power. "And I won't let you hurt him!"

Rage screamed as she was suddenly dragged across the ground by an invisible force, red mist streaming off of her skin. She dissipated into a cloud and was sucked into the chakra on Raven's forehead.

Raven fell to her knees, overwhelmingly dizzy. She shook her head, spat on the ground and ran over to help Beast Boy.

"Beast Boy, are you okay?" she asked, afraid to touch him.

Beast Boy tried to speak, but couldn't. Not when he was a bird every other second.

"Hold on," Raven muttered, and put a hand on his head. He instantly froze, eyes wide and empty.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos," Raven whispered, and one more tear fell from her eyes, landing on Beast Boy's lips.

There was a great rushing noise, and Beast Boy lay still. He stayed as a person, even when Raven took her hand off of him.

"Are you awake?" Raven whispered. "Beast Boy?"

"My head hurts like hell, but other than that I'm fine,' Beast Boy muttered, sitting up. Raven, without thinking, pulled him into a tight hug.

"Is Rage gone?" he asked, pulling away and blushing slightly.

"Yes," Raven said, standing up. She held out a hand and helped him up as well.

"How?"

"I don't know, really," Raven said, brow furrowed. "I finally believed that I could beat it, and I did."

"See, Raven? They're your emotions!" Beast Boy said, smiling. "Only you can control them!"

"Yeah… I suppose so. I've just always doubted myself and my ultimate alignment; I never thought that I could do it."

They looked around at the blank area, which was decidedly lacking in Rage.

"Seems you can."

Raven gave him another hug. "Can we go now?" she asked.

Beast Boy laughed. "It's your mind, you don't need my permission!"

**Do not worry, there is more to come! I will try and make the ending a bit more epic than this ended up!**

**And please! REVIEW! I don't like to beg, but I will for those amazing little tidbits of critique! The button is there for a reason!**

**Note- good reviews make me write faster and better.**


	9. One Last Attack

**You can kill me now, I deserve it.**

**I am SO SORRY that I took so long to update. I would love to say that it was because of some emergency or something that I was so late, but that would be lying.**

**In truth, I'm getting tired of this story. The whole plot (from Apocalypse to here) has taken more than two months, and I'm sick of it. I'm eager to get into some of my other story ideas, but I've committed myself to too many sequels!**

**I'm hoping that this chapter makes up for it. Not quite my best work, but I still like it.**

**Enjoy…**

They walked hand in hand out of the room. Both of them were a bit unsure of whether it was okay, but they didn't stop. It felt… right.

They reached the door, and stopped.

"Raven, are you okay with seeing Terra?" Beast Boy asked, looking her in the eyes.

Raven nodded. "I really have forgiven her," she said. "She didn't think she had a choice, just like I thought."

"Okay," Beast Boy said, and reached for the handle.

A loud rumbling echoed through the tunnels. Bits of dust fell from the ceiling.

"What was that?" Raven wondered.

Beast Boy opened the door to find Terra standing just outside in a fighting stance, looking around uneasily. She heard the hinges and turned to face them.

"Beast Boy, you're okay!" she cried, running to Beast Boy and giving him an enormous hug. Raven watched with a strange look on her face; almost amusement, almost pain.

"And you got Raven!" Terra smiled, noticing she was there.

"Well, she kind of got me, actually," Beast Boy admitted, shrugging.

"I'm glad you're alright, Raven," Terra said, "and I'm sorry. I know I never said it, but I'm really sorry."

Raven just held up a hand. "You didn't know what you were doing," she said softly.

"So what was that noise?" Beast Boy wondered.

"I don't know," Terra admitted.

"Let's go," Raven said, and glided down the hallway. Terra and Beast Boy followed, holding hands.

After a labyrinth of tunnels, they exited the door that they had originally entered. The black walls of The Nexus were swirling with purple flashes, and random doors would open and then slam shut as they flew around erratically. The strange beat echoed off invisible walls.

"So what's going on?" Terra asked over the noise. Raven began to shake her head, but then went pale(r).

"No…" she whispered, but they could all hear her. "Who let him in here?"

"Who?" Beast Boy asked, stepping to the side as a door floated past him.

"Malchior!" Raven shouted, wheeling to face them. Rage and Fear were apparent on her face. "Why is he here?"

"It… it was the only way to get in here to save you, Raven," Beast Boy explained. "I had no other choice!"

"But did you have to let him out of your sight?"

"I made a deal. I couldn't just break it."

Raven sighed and turned back around. "Okay, maybe this isn't that bad. If he didn't get in there…"

"He went into a stone door with torches," Terra said.

Raven froze.

"That's really bad," she said softly.

"Why, what's in that room?" Beast Boy asked.

"That is where all of the spells I've ever learned and cast are remembered; he could find any old spell he wants and do whatever he wants with it!" Raven said sharply, beginning to pace across the floor. "Including…"

"The one that sets him free," Beast Boy finished.

"Exactly," Raven said, face grim.

There was an explosion and a hawk-like scream, then everything was lost in a storm of smoke, fire and dust.

**At the Tower:**

Robin sat in a chair, staring at the sealed glass box that contained Raven's body. He wondered how Beast Boy was doing, and if Raven was alright. He felt sort of stupid, just sitting there waiting for Beast Boy to complete his mission. It made him twitch, thinking of all that he could be doing but wasn't able to.

He sucked in a deep breath and held it there, pressing his hands against his eyes. The room was so quiet, save for the air vents and the light sound of breathing.

Breathing…

Robin's head snapped upwards and focused on Raven's stomach. He wasn't dreaming; she really was breathing. Beast Boy had succeeded!

But wait… where was he, then? And Terra?

Raven's eyes snapped open, and suddenly everything was chaos. In a swirling vortex of black and white Robin saw the walls fading away and could hear an enormous crushing noise. He was thrown roughly to the ground to find he was now on the roof. Raven was standing behind him, panting, and Beast Boy and Terra were to his left. All were staring ahead with looks of rage and disgust on their faces.

A shadow blocked out the sun, and Robin slowly looked up.

Looming over them all was Malchior. He was at least twice as massive as before, and his eyes were actually leaking white flames. He flared his wings, and the sky disappeared behind them.

Robin clenched his teeth and drew his staff.

Malchior popped his giant neck and shifted forward. Everyone tensed, but all the dragon did was hold out his arm to Beast Boy.

It was a handshake.

"Allow me to thank you, changeling," he said, a mocking smile on his lips. "Without you, none of this would have been possible."

"Shut up," Beast Boy muttered.

"Hm?" Malchior asked.

"SHUT UP!" Beast Boy screamed in rage, and in a split second he was a T Rex, ramming his iron-hard skull into the dragon's snout. Malchior clamped his jaws around the oncoming threat and hurled him off the roof with a twist of his head.

Raven shot into the sky and began to shoot lightning at Malchior. Terra dislodged a boulder from the island beneath them and threw it with all her might. The black dragon brushed off Raven's magic like it was a minor annoyance and blasted the rock apart with a spurt of fire. Then he parted his jaws and yawned.

"He's stronger than before…" Raven realized.

"Infinitely so," Malchior sneered.

Robin leapt up from the roof, staff out and ready to strike. Malchior twisted and punched him right out of the air. There was a crack like a gunshot and Robin was thrown into the ocean almost faster than Raven could see.

"Robin!" Terra shouted.

Cyborg and Starfire appeared from one of the doors leading up to the roof.

"Hey, what's going… YO!" Cyborg shouted, but then he and Starfire were engulfed in flames.

"You!" Raven snarled, turning to Malchior. He just laughed and whipped his tail around. There was a burning sensation across Raven's middle, and she dropped to the roof.

Terra stood still, unable to believe everything she was seeing. She had never witnessed the Titans fall so easily. The last one to have defeated them nearly this fast was… herself, and they had at least been able to fight back then!

"And now there's you…" Malchior said, turning to her. "I don't remember you."

"You will!" Terra snapped, and raised a sharp spear of rock from the ground and hurled it at him. The dragon's eyes widened and he stepped to the side to dodge it just in time.

"And so we begin," he said softly, and spat a stream of fire at her.

Beast Boy broke the surface of the waves, clutching his head. That attack had HURT, and just when he had been healed, too.

He looked up to the Tower. His angle wasn't good, so he couldn't see anyone, but he saw flashes of gold and red.

"Terra," he breathed. "But then where's everyone else?"

Something floated into him, and he brushed it away absentmindedly. His hand hit jelled hair, and he froze.

"What?"

He turned to see Robin floating in the waves beside him, unconscious. Blood was slowly leaking through his shirt.

"Oooh…" Beast Boy muttered, wincing at the sight of the injuries. He extracted a roll of bandage wrap from Robin's belt and began to awkwardly treat his friend.

Malchior and Terra skidded across the roof in opposite directions, blasted backwards by the force of each other's attacks. Both were breathing heavily.

_I have never fought anyone with a fighting style like hers, _thought Malchior. _And those abilities! I can't get past her defenses!_

_This guy is really tough, _Terra was thinking at the same time. _At this rate, I'll lose. I don't have enough stamina._

Terra looked over to see beast Boy fly back into view as a pterodactyl and drop to the roof. Robin lay across his back, even as Beast Boy transformed. Terra growled.

_I have to end this now, before anyone else gets hurt,_ she decided. _I would never forgive myself if that happened._

So as Malchior reared back for another strike, Terra poured all of the energy she had into her right hand, and a stone sword formed out of nowhere. She twisted around and thrust it into the dragon's chest, right up to the hilt.

Malchior choked and stared at the wound in surprise. Blood dribbled from his lips as he turned grey from the point of the weapon outward. With loud snapping sounds his arms locked in place, then his legs and wings, then his neck, and then it closed over his head. Fully turned to stone, the monster fell from the roof and into the water, disappearing into the depths with an enormous splash.

No more was seen of him.

Beast Boy rushed over as Terra dropped to her knees.

"What's wrong?" he asked, clutching her shoulders. Her skin felt so cold…

Terra held up her hand to show that it was solid and grey, and that the effect was already traveling down her arm.

"No…" Beast Boy whispered. "You're turning back into stone!"

Terra nodded sadly. "I could feel it happening the first time I used my powers once I woke up. Whatever force that had woken me up wasn't permanent."

"But you can't go," Beast Boy protested. "You just got here! I don't have anyone else!"

"That's not true," Terra said. "You have her."

She gestured towards Raven's motionless form with her living arm.

"Don't worry, she's fine," Terra assured him.

"Wha… what?" Beast Boy stuttered.

"She likes you. A lot. She may have never said to out loud to any of us, but there are signs. She really cares about you."

Beast Boy stared in astonishment.

"And I can tell you care about her just as much."

"I care about you," Beast Boy insisted. "And you can't go!"

"It's not my world anymore, Beast Boy," Terra sighed. The stone had encased both her arms and legs and was slowly traveling up her neck. "I don't fit in anywhere, I don't belong here."

Tears were streaming from both their eyes.

"I'll miss you, Beast Boy," Terra whispered. The stone closed over one of her eyes. "And I lo-…"

Her mouth was covered, and the sound died.

Beast Boy hugged the lifeless statue to him and began to sob.

"I love you too."

**That was pretty much the story finale. I'll post a wrap-up chapter or two after this and that'll be that.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**And you know how much I love reviews, so if you would be so kind…**


	10. ComposerDragon Explains Ch 9's Suckyness

Hello, readers. If there is any.

I would like to apologize for the supposed "epic climax" of this story. To put it in American terms, it was a piece of shit. Sorry. I would like to thank KuroiTori-sama for pointing that out.

Now, I know I'm making this sound like I committed adultery or shot the president or something. It's not that horrible a crime, it's my story and I can do what I want with it, but I feel like it, and you guys, deserve better.

So I am going to work on a rewrite. Perhaps of the last chapter, perhaps of the whole last section of the book, but I'm going to fix the deteriorating quality Subconscious has shown.

The secrets of the climax, however, were given up in that first draft. That's a shame, but it can't be reversed.

So expect a few revamped chapters in the future. Maybe not the near future, because Condemned has occupied all of my attention, but somewhere along the timeline. It'll be slow.

I would also like to take advantage of this opportunity to state that Hemophobia is still alive. I haven't started writing, or even thought of a plot, but it's there!

So yeah. Some newer, better projects first. Then revamp. Keep in mind that this started off as my 3rd fanfiction EVER. Apocalypse was my 2nd. The first was so crappy I never posted it.

Expect more! I won't let it die!

-ComposerDragon


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